Winter's Eve
by Darktiger2
Summary: After a horrible accident that leaves Splinter dead, the turtles split up. But after multiple deaths, and maybe a 'serial killer' on the loose, could they overcome their problems? Urgh. Story better than it sounds. One-Shot.


Right. I know, I know. Update other stories. Well, I _will…_ (mutters: One day…)

Sees thousands of angry glares…. Erm! One day _SOON! Like Tomorrow or this week soon!_

Anyways, uhm, this is a ONE SHOT! Which means no more updates and no more waiting for you guys! YEAH!

But this will be a very _long_ and a very _weird _piece. Don't ask. When I'm sitting in a college class with adults, and I'm younger than 19, for four hours, I get kinda bored. And that means my mind works in very weird ways. Sometimes, the thoughts don't even make sense to me! Imagine that.

So,

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the turtles…or (sob) Leo… But I do own the old man and the poem.

Note: This is an AU fic. Well…sort of. Urh! You'll just have to accept it for what it is! Jeez!

* * *

_Winter's Eve_

_Snow whirls around you,_

_Crunching beneath you,_

_Cold winds blow,_

_Freezing you stiff,_

_Are you lost?_

_See a shadow,_

_Call out in vain,_

_The howling wind grabs your voice,_

_And it disappears into nothing,_

_HELLO! Can you hear me?_

_But the shadow disappears,_

_Then appears beside you,_

_It takes your hand and holds it,_

_Then it disappears,_

_Can you come back?_

_But in your hand there is a token,_

_A little cake that holds your soul,_

_You smile, not knowing,_

_You eat it, then fall asleep,_

_Hey, come, follow me?_

_Cold snow falls from the heavens,_

_Whirling around a body,_

_No longer breathing, feeling,_

_Small crumbs scattered around it,_

_You heard me._

_By: Me. _

_(you'll get it when you read the story)_

_

* * *

_

Snow lazily drifted down in huge globs from the deep gray sky. Winter had come early. It blew in the beginning of November and left behind cold hard snow, a foot deep. And slowly as time passed into December, the snow kept on falling, the ice kept on freezing, and the winds kept on howling.

But this wasn't such a surprise. New York had seen many such winters. All of them came like this. Suddenly and unexpectedly.

But while families were nestled in their warm little homes, others, who weren't so lucky sat outside in the cold.

One such person was a small little girl, who stood under the flickering streetlight. She was pale as a ghost, with dark bags under her eyes and her lips an unhealthy blue. All she had were some shoes filled with holes, a scarf, torn up jeans, and a huge black coat that reached down to her knees.

She pulled the coat tighter around her, but other than that, she didn't move. Sometimes, though, her eyes would flicker down the empty streets as if she was waiting for someone.

The wind howled even more, just as there were sounds of snow, steadily crunching.

The girl straightened a bit, her eyes shining. She looked down the street expectantly as a small shadow made its way towards her slowly.

The failing light from the streetlamp shone onto the shadow, revealing a old man wearing a long black cloak wrapped around his old body. He held an old beaten up walking stick as a staff in front of him, occasionally leaning heavily onto it as he trudged on.

His ice blue eyes flickered towards the little girl, before he slowly stopped, coming up next to her. "Ah, Neva. I thought you'd be here."

The little girl giggled. "I always am, Mr!"

The old man laughed gently. "Yes you are."

The little girl looked up at him cautiously. "Erm…do you have any more of those little cakes? They're really good and I'm really hungry…"

The old man chuckled before reaching into his black coat and drawing out a small light brown cake. He handed it to the little girl, who quickly began to gobble it up.

They stayed in silence for a while before the little girl spoke up, swallowing a big bite of the cake quickly. "You know, Mr., sometimes I wonder what it would be like if my parents would still be alive. Maybe I'd be sitting around a fireplace drinking hot cocoa instead of standing out here in the cold. Oh well." She whispered, looking sorrowful.

The old man heaved a sigh, before looking up at the cloudy sky that was steadily darkening. "It's alright child. Maybe you'll meet them soon." He murmured, before looking back at the child. "How have you been?"

She shrugged, finishing off the last of the little cake. "Tired. Very tired. Sometimes I just fall asleep out of the blue. But it doesn't matter." She yawned a bit when she said that. "I'd better go. Maybe the soup kitchen's still open…"

The old man nodded. "Yes. Maybe it is, child." He looked sad as he said that.

The girl smiled, not noticing it. "Thanks again for the cake, Mr!"

With that, she laughed and started to run down the street.

The old man watched her before sighing sadly and walking away in the opposite way.

The next day, people found the little girl's body, huddled in a small alley. She had a small content smile on her face, and around her were some cake crumbs.

* * *

The snow lazily drifted down in tiny little flakes. The winds seemed to have also calmed down. It was way past midnight, therefore no one was outside. It was very very cold.

The snow crunched steadily as a sole figure walked slowly down the street. The streetlights weren't on, so the figure didn't have to worry about being seen.

The figure wore a baggy coat and he had no shoes. He didn't have the coat shielding his face, but he didn't need it. After all, no one was around to freak out about a mutated turtle wandering the streets.

Leo sighed as he stopped under a dark streetlight. The tails of his blue bandana gently floated in the occasional breeze. One of the tails was much shorter than the other, though.

Leo raised his eyes towards the dark sky and sighed. "I'm all alone. Isn't something missing? Isn't someone missing me?" He quietly sang from one of his favorite songs, _Missing_ by Evanescence.

But he knew the answer all too well.

He'd been out on the streets for two months now. Two months, and no one came for him. Not that he had expected them to.

Splinter, he knew, wasn't worried. He'd been dead for five months now.

* * *

_He sat on the dojo floor, trying to meditate. No one came to the dojo anymore. No one, except for him. After all, it was too much to be reminded of Splinter._

_He could hear them arguing again. They did that so much now. He had tried, tried so hard. But it didn't matter. It never did._

_He opened his eyes and sighed, his concentration broken. He listened a bit at he arguments, contemplating whether or not to intervene. He decided against it. _

_He closed his eyes again, trying to regain his concentration. _

_The voices were louder now. Steadily rising._

_A while ago, he'd been able to control them. To calm them. But now…_

_He opened his eyes again. He looked up at the ceiling. " But in the end, it doesn't even matter…" He sang quietly to himself, from another of his favorites, Linkin Park's In the End._

_Because in the end, it doesn't really matter._

Leo woke with a start. He looked around, dazed a bit, before realizing that he was laying in an abandoned alley, on top of a collapsed cardboard box. How he managed to wander back to his 'home' he didn't know. But he didn't really care at the same time.

He slowly sat up; the blanket of snow on him slid immediately off. He slowly shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory.

He groaned when he felt his stomach hurting from hunger. He never really felt hungry anymore, only pain. After all, if he were lucky, he'd find something in the garbage cans that he could eat. And that was every few days or so.

He didn't dare to risk going to a soup kitchen. After all, the coat covered most of his body, but not all. Someone would be bound to notice.

Leo sighed, before standing up slowly. Better go start the day.

* * *

He was rummaging through a trash container, trying to find something eatable to eat. The snow was falling thickly, but luckily the wind wasn't howling. Even though it was well into the morning, no one was outside. Jobs and schools were canceled. It would be suicide to go outside in this cold weather. A lot of people had already died, and the numbers were slowly rising.

"Two months pass by and it's getting cold…I know I'm not lost…I am just alone…But I won't cry…I won't give up…I can't go back now…Waking up is knowing who you really are…" Leo quietly sang, as he rummaged deeper. It was another one of his favorites. _Exodus_, by Evanescence. Funny how well it went with his current situation.

Suddenly, he sensed something. He quickly pulled himself up and looked out of the container. There, to his left, stood an old man. He wore a long black cloak wrapped around his body and was leaning on a walking stick. His face was old and wrinkled, but had a kind expression on his face. His eyes, an ice blue, glittered kindly at Leo. He didn't look surprised at all to see a mutated turtle in front of him.

Leo quickly hopped down from the container, his sapphire blue eyes never leaving the old man.

They stood like that for a while before the old man spoke up in a hoarse, yet kind voice. "Are you hungry, child?"

Leo blinked in surprise. He kinda, well, expected something else… "Um…Ojiisan? Are you not afraid of me?" Leo asked carefully but respectfully.

The old man chuckled. "Child, I have seen so many things in my lifetime. So what if you are a humanlike turtle? You are only fifteen, are you not?"

Leo nodded cautiously.

"—And you are outside in the cold. Homeless I presume, just like I am." The old man finished. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Are you hungry, child?" He asked again.

Leo hesitated for a second, before nodding. "A little, ojiisan."

The old man nodded, before reaching into his pocket. He drew out a small light brown cake. "Here child. This, I think, will be enough."

Leo took it gratefully, bowing a bit. "Thank you, ojiisan. But…what about you?" He asked, offering the cake back. "Are you not hungry?"

The old man laughed a little. "No. I have enough for myself. Thank you though, child."

Leo nodded, before taking a small bite out of the little cake. He chewed it thoughtfully, before realizing that it was delicious. "Wow…This is good…" Leo said in surprise, before taking a bigger bite. The cake, being only as big as his palm, was gone in a few seconds, but it filled him up. Leo quickly brushed the crumbs off his hands, before bowing to the old man again. "Thank you so much…it was very good."

The old man nodded. "Your welcome, child. Now tell me why you are out here."

Leo shifted nervously. The old man noticed this. "It's all right. I can wait. I apologize for asking such a personal thing of you."

Leo looked away. "No. Its okay, ojiisan. Basically I ran away from home. No real reason other than that why I'm out here." Leo shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. My name's Leo, by the way."

The old man nodded. "Very nice to meet you, Leo. I wish I too, could give a name, but I've been homeless for so long that I have forgotten, I'm afraid."

Leo smiled for the first time in months. "That's all right ojiisan."

* * *

Don sat furiously typing on his computer. Occasionally he would take a sip of his warm coffee, but other than that, he was totally engrossed into his work. He worked online with a very successful scientific lab in researching the earth. They analyzed plants and kept record of both their evolution and uses, they researched the atmosphere and other planets for signs of life, and so on.

They paid him very good money for his help. Of course, they had wanted to meet him in person, but Don regularly declined saying that he had a phobia of strangers and big crowds.

Don sighed and stretched, taking a little break. He loved this work, but it was tiring.

A golden retriever, who lay beside his chair, raised its head up and whined, looking up at him with wide, amber eyes.

Don smiled, looking down at the dog. "Nothing's wrong Shadow. Just tired."

The dog yawned before lowering its head back onto its paw.

Don sighed, knowing what was really wrong with Shadow. After Splinter had died, their life had changed drastically.

Don bit his lip as he began to type again. But the memories kept on coming back.

Don growled in anger as he remembered how the Shredder had been aiming for him, but Splinter had jumped in front of him, shielding him. The Shredder's sword had gone right through his stomach. Splinter had died a day later from his wound.

'Well,' Don thought angrily, 'It _was_ Raph's fault. If Raph hadn't run away, then we wouldn't have gone after him. And at the same time, if Mikey hadn't been such an idiot and acted all disobedient and silly, then the Foot wouldn't have found them. Now Splinter was dead and they think that it's all _my_ fault! How dare they!'

Just then, Shadow whined, drawing Don out of his thoughts. Don blinked before realizing that he was gripping the mouse so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He looked down at Shadow, who was looking up at him with wide eyes again. Don sighed. "Nothing's wrong Shadow. Just remembering."

The dog whined once more, looking sorrowful.

Don knew how he felt. They had found Shadow when he was only a little pup, thrown out onto the streets. They had all took to loving him, and eventually Splinter let them keep it. Of course, the little puppy trailed everyone like their own shadow, so they named him Shadow. They all loved Shadow, and Shadow loved them all, but he seemed to have taken to Leo more.

And now, since all their arguments and self-blaming drew them apart to live in separate places, acting as if the others never existed, Shadow had come to live with him. Of course, if Shadow knew where Leo was, he'd go and live with him. But none of them knew where Leo was. He just got up and disappeared one day. And they had never saw him again.

Not that they really cared.

* * *

Raph sat on a couch, his feet up on the table. He was sharpening his Sais. Papers were scattered all around him, and on the walls were newspaper clips of guys on motorcycles in different championships.

"Yo. Raph. Watchya doin'?"

Raph didn't look up. "Nothin' Jody. I ain't doin' nothin'. Jus' sharpenin' these things."

A short but muscular man stood in the doorway. He had dark brown eyes, dark brown hair and a tanned face. There was a small scar on the left side of his cheek. He was wearing a big white sweater with the words _"Motorcycle Racing Championships 1998"_ written across it in big red letters. He wore some black baggy pants with the brand name _Optima_ written on one side of the pants.

The man shrugged, before turning back. "Want some pizza?"

Raph shrugged. "Anythin' but pineapple pizza."

"No sweat. Me 'an the whole gang know ya don' like that."

And then Jody was gone.

Raph gritted his teeth. Pineapple pizza… Mikey had loved it. Raph gripped his sais tighter. 'Mikey…that idiot. If he hadn't been such a fuckin' idiot, then Splinter would still be alive. In fact, if Don had been payin' attention, then Splinter wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself for him…And if Leo hadn't been such a jerk, I wouldn't have run away…'

Sometimes Raph wondered where Leo was. He was gone. Just got up and disappeared one day. But then he remembered his anger at him and at the others, and that chased any other thought away.

"Yo, Raph! 'Da pizza's here!" Another voice called up. This time a deeper voice.

Raph smirked. "Comin' in a sec, Ray. Tell the other's to leave me a piece!"

"Sho' thin' Raph!"

* * *

Mikey let out a whoop in joy as he started to spin in the spinning chair. He had never had this much fun when he was in the Lair. It made him almost glad that they weren't living in the Lair anymore. Or together for that fact. Don had gone to live with Casey and April, taking Shadow with him. Raph had gone to live with his friends, whom were a motorcycle champions, and was now living with them in their apartment. He, himself, had made friends with the Justice Force (see episode 48) and he had gone to live with them in their headquarters. Leo had disappeared on night, and no one knew where he was. He could be in California or China for all they knew.

But Mikey didn't care where they were. His brothers were idiots who were responsible for Splinter's death. Without them, and their constant ways of messing things up, he'd still be alive.

(note: I don't have this episode so I'm making up random superhero characters. All of them aren't really in the episode 48, except for 'Nobody')

"Stop fooling around, Mike." Snapped a small masked superhero, sitting by the computers, furiously typing. He had a gray mask and a blue cape. He was nicknamed 'Psyche' for his genius-ness.

Mikey sighed. "But it's fun!" He whined, immediately distracted from his thoughts.

"I know it is fun, but we have a serious situation at hand." Another superhero, this time female, said. She was dressed in white with red boots, a red mask and a red cape. She was called 'All-Star.'

Immediately Mikey sat up, excited. "What's up?"

Another superhero, dressed in a bright yellow outfit, referred to as 'Lightning', spoke up. "We'retryingtofindallthepeoplewhoarehomeless." He said really fast.

"Why?"

"Because" Answered another female, dressed in a green outfit, and called 'Terra', "We're trying to prevent anymore deaths. We've already had twenty-two deaths. And if this weather continues, we're sure as hell gonna have some more. It's killer weather out there, and Gale can't control it."

Mikey nodded, knowing who Gale was. She was another hero, who could control weather. She was pretty nice most of the time, but lord help anyone who got her angry!

"HeyfreezethatimagePsycho." Lightning suddenly said.

Psyche growled in anger. "I TOLD YOU my name is PSYCHE!" But he froze the picture of one of the dead victims. "What about it? It's a child, referred to as 'Neva', twelve years old, and homeless. What about her?"

"Nothing." Lightning said. "Justthattherearesomecrumbsnexttoher. Almostallvictimswe'veseenhavecrumbsnexttothem. Weirdhuh?"

It took everyone a minute to understand what the hell Lightning had just said. Then, they all realized that what he said was true.

Psyche immediately enlarged the picture of the crumbs. "Hmm…I don't recognize what kind of crumbs they are." He paused for a bit, studying the picture. "Lightning, go down and get me some samples of these crumbs from the police station.—"

Lightning nodded. "Onitboss." He said, and then he rushed out of the room at breakneck speed.

Psyche snorted. "—anyways, Terra, All-Star, gather everyone and have them search the stores and people for the source of these crumbs. Careful, they could be poisoned cakes for all we know."

Mikey pouted as the two females left. "What about me?"

Psyche glared at him. "You're a turtle. You'll freeze out there. You're staying here."

Mikey sighed as he spun the chair again. He was already bored.

* * *

Lightning was back with the crumb samples in a record time of 4.5 minutes. Psyche had immediately scanned the samples, but to everyone's great surprise, the crumbs indicated nothing abnormal. They were just regular, normal, cakes. They didn't have any poison or anything in them. But that still did not explain why there were crumbs at every death scene.

Mikey thought for a second. "Maybe they all choked to death on the cake?"

All the superheros were crowded around a huge table in the conference room. But at Mikey's suggestion, the tense and thoughtful atmosphere immediately lifted.

All-Star bit back her laughter. "_All _twenty-two people _choked_ to death? Oh, come on. That is _so_ unlikely."

Psyche grimed. "Actually, there is a .5 percent chance that they did, but it is highly unlikely. However, that is as good of a guess as any.—"

One of the heros, a mysterious guy named 'Nobody' spoke up. "We obviously can't do this alone. We need someone who can sneak into places without being seen. Something is obviously up. Those cakes may not have had any traces of poison, but that does not mean that there _isn't_ any—"

Psyche immediately stood up, which didn't do much because he could only reach up to the waist of a grown person. "Are you saying that _my_ scanner was wrong?"

Nobody shrugged. "Could be. Nothing's perfect in this god forsaken world."

"But he is right…" Gale said. "We do need someone with that kind of skill. Someone like…you." She said, looking at Mikey.

Mikey gulped. "Me? But…"

"You have three more brothers do you not?" Terra asked him.

Mikey, noticing that he was cornered, nodded slowly. "But I'm not meeting them. And for sure hell, I ain't gonna go _lookin'_ for their help." He stated angrily. 'It was _their_ fault that Splinter died…'

Gale sighed. "We need the help. This could be murders…And if they are, even though there is no real proof, then we have a serial killer on the loose! We _need_ you and your brothers."

Mikey gritted his teeth. He knew he wasn't acting like his normal cheerful self, but he sure as hell won't go looking for his bros. After all, why would he? Splinter died because of them, and he wasn't going to just suddenly forget that just because there is a serial killer on the loose. "Fine. Maybe _they'll_ help. But I ain't gonna go ask 'em. You ask them if you 'need them' so bad."

With that, he stomped out of the room.

* * *

Leo sighed as he woke up shivering in his 'home'. Sometimes he just wanted to go ahead and kill himself. He hated this life and he hated knowing that no one cared about him.

Leo drew the coat tighter around him. He knew why they didn't care. He was one of the one's at fault for Splinter's death.

But Leo knew that Splinter's death was just an accident. None of them were really at fault. But the others would not believe that. It was easier to blame another than to realize that things happen because it was just _time._

Leo coughed a bit before looking up at the dark clouds above him. A faint flicker of a star shone through for a second, before disappearing.

He sighed and drew the coat tighter around himself, before curling up on the collapsed cardboard.

* * *

Don woke up at exactly 9 am in the morning to someone knocking on the door. Don quickly slid out of bed, staying quiet. April and Casey had already left to make a quick trip to the store, and he was well…a ninja turtle. He wasn't nuts to open the door!

But the knocking refused to subside. Finally, someone called through the door in a low voice. "I know you're in here, turtle. Your brother said so."

Don started. His brother? Which one of his lousy stinking brothers ratted him out?

There was a sigh from behind the door, then the same voice continued. "Do not worry. I am Gale from the Justice Force. Please, I just wish to talk to you."

This time Don did a double take. Justice Force? They were in good terms with them…they wouldn't hurt them, would they?

Don hoped not. But he cautiously opened the door, making sure to stay in the shadows just incase someone else wandered this way. "Come in."

Gale quickly slid into the small apartment. Don quickly shut the door behind her. Then, he looked at her. "All right, what do you want?"

Gale took a deep breath and began to explain their situation.

* * *

Raph was home alone, being bored. The others had all gone to the mall since the snow let up momentarily. Why not restock on supplies while you can?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Raph jumped. He didn't recognize that knock. It wasn't any of his friends.

"I know you are in here, turtle. Open up. I am from the Justice Force."

Raph's first reaction was surprise, then cautiousness. Sure they were in good terms with the Justice Force, but…

"What the bloody hell ya want?" Raph called out, unwilling to open the door.

"Open the freakin' door and I'll tell ya."

Raph snorted. "_Sure…_What if you ain't who ya say ya are?"

There was a pause. Then,

"You won't know unless you open the damn door. Or do you want me to blast it off its hinges?"

This time, Raph hesitated. His friends wouldn't be too happy if they came home and the door was blasted off…

He got up, a sai in hand, and opened the door.

"Thank you." Snapped the superhero as he stepped in. "Now, I'm Nobody,"

Raph snickered at the name,

Nobody glared at him, his hands curling into fists. "And we need your help." He took a deep breath. "Please."

Raph snorted again. "Depends on what the hell ya want."

* * *

"_You goddamn idiot!"_

_He groaned as he heard them start to yell again. His head hurt. He closed his eyes and clamped his ears shut as he moved under the covers of his bed. They could never take a break, could they?_

_There was a sudden crash from the kitchen. He sighed as he curled up. He couldn't take this anymore…_

Leo shook his head to clear his head of the memories. He let out a sigh as he looked down at the street below him. A few people were out and about, but other than that, it was bare.

He, himself, was sitting on top of an apartment building, just looking at the city and trying to figure out what the hell to do.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a figure running on the street at such great speed that he was almost a yellow blur. But he would stop and scan the alleys for a few seconds before running off again.

Leo cocked his head as he watched the yellow blur stop near his alley. He scanned it, then continued his way.

Leo watched him until he disappeared. 'He looked like he was looking for something…' He thought, before shrugging. Sure, he was in good terms with the Justice Force, but right now he was just a homeless freak. Whatever that blur was looking for, it didn't concern him.

* * *

Don couldn't believe it. He was standing in the middle of the Justice Force Headquarters. What on earth possessed him to come here?

Don snorted as he caught sight of Mikey. Their eyes met for a moment, before both looked away in disgust. 'Of course, _Mikey_.' Don thought. 'Figures that idiot would take refuge here.'

Then suddenly a thought hit him. 'Wait. If I'm here, and _Mikey's_ here, then isn't _Raph_ going to--?'

Don sighed. The doors were still open. He could still run.

* * *

Raph couldn't believe it. He was standing in front of the Justice Force Headquarters. Did he finally go over the deep end?

Nobody had already warned him that his brothers would be here. Raph scoffed. 'Well, duh. Mikey's too much of an idiot to do _anything_ right, Don's too much of a smart ass to be able to do any action…he's a computer freak anyways, and Leo, well…he's…too much of a bossy bastard to do anything on his own.'

Satisfied with himself, Raph opened the doors and stepped in.

The Headquarters were huge. Its entrance was as big as two football stadiums. There were all sorts of superheroes in all sorts of colorful costumes walking around the place. But Raph immediately caught sight of his two brothers. They were standing side by side, talking to some other superheroes, but each looked as if they'd be anywhere but here.

"Ah. You've arrived."

Raph whirled around to see Nobody standing behind him. Then, before he could react, Nobody grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him to his brothers, saying, "Gale, Terra, and Psyche are all ready filling the others in about what to do. All we have to do is wait for Lightning to return with your other brother and we can start."

* * *

Leo sighed in agitation. That superhero in yellow was really annoying now. He had passed his 'home' about five times now.

Maybe he should just hop down and ask him what the hell he was looking for.

Leo watched as the superhero looked around, before speeding off again.

He waited for a couple of minutes to see if he'd come back, but he didn't.

Leo gave a thankful sigh of relief as he jumped down from the roof and landed on soft snow. That had been annoying.

* * *

They sat in the conference room. All of the superheroes plus the three turtles. The silence could have been cut with a knife.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Lightning stepped in. He looked grim. "Sorryboss. Couldn'tfindtheotherone. Isearchedallovertheworld,twiceeven,butIain'tfindhim."

This struck everyone as weird. How could someone disappear so well that even Lightning couldn't find him?

"Ah well." Psyche said. "We have three. They'll have to do."

But the three turtles weren't so sure. They looked at each other for the first time without hate. First, their brother disappears, and then there might be a serial killer out there? Something was definitely up.

* * *

The only sound was snow crunching beneath their feet. They had made a solid pact that after this, they'd go back to their previous lives: pretending that the others didn't exist.

"What are we searching for again?" Raph spoke up, agitated.

Gale bit back a sigh. "We are searching for the one behind this."

"We've searched five warehouses, nine bakeries, two stores…and none of them had what we're looking for!" Don snapped.

"Wow,hecounted?" Lightning asked Mikey. "Hereallyissmart!"

Mikey snorted. He was cold and tired. And he really, _really_ hated this.

Terra sighed. She tired of this too, but they couldn't give up just yet! "A few more places, guys, please."

Her request was answered by groans.

* * *

Finally they stopped. Sure, it was only just for a little breather, but they were glad for anything!

Don let out a breath as he leaned on the brick wall. They weren't getting anywhere. And with each search, the doubt that there _was_ a serial killer kept on rising. But something kept on gnawing at his gut. That cake…and the deaths…something was familiar…

Don shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

Suddenly, they heard snow steadily crunching. Someone was coming this way!

All three brothers quickly hid in the shadows, holding their breaths.

An old man was coming towards them. He was walking slowly, leaning on his walking stick sometimes.

Terra stepped up to him. "Please sir. It is dangerous to be out here in this weather. Please go home."

The old man didn't answer, only looked at her with his ice-blue eyes. Then he spoke up in a hoarse voice. "I have business out here."

"I am sorry sir," Terra pressed. "It is _dangerous_ to be out here. Whatever business you have can wait."

The old man shook his head. "It can never wait."

Terra sighed. "It can and it must." She said, grabbing the old man. He struggled and to everyone's surprise, a small brown cake fell out from one of his pockets.

Everyone froze.

Gale stepped to the cake and picked it up before analyzing it. She gasped. "It matches."

Terra immediately looked at the old man. "Sir, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent."

The old man said nothing. He just sighed.

Gale had already called Psyche on her phone. She flipped the cover quickly back on. "Psyche wants him back in the Headquarters." She informed them.

* * *

Back in the Headquarters, they had the old man put into a cage-like cell. There, Psyche was busy trying to interrogate him, but so far the old man was silent.

Meanwhile, the others watched. But deep in his gut, Don sensed something familiar of the whole thing.

Suddenly it all snapped. He had read about this in one of Splinter's books long ago…

Don stepped up to the cage-like cell, despite the warnings from the others.

Then everyone went silent at what Don asked next.

"You're Death, aren't you?"

* * *

Leo yawned as he sat up in his 'home'. He was hungry again…well…at least his stomach was hurting.

Leo reached into his coat pocket and drew out a little cake. The old man had given it to him. He slowly began to munch on it.

The old man would visit him everyday. They'd talk and the old man would give him the little cake.

Slowly, Leo had told him everything that had happened. Everything. How Splinter died, how his brothers blamed each other, and how he ran away…

Leo's eyes glazed over as he remembered.

_He couldn't take it anymore. He had tried everything. Talking to them, trying to make them tell him their feelings, anything. But nothing worked. The fights had gotten so bad that his brothers refused to be in the same room with each other. They, of course, blamed him, but they bore his presence._

_Leo sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know if there was a heaven. Or if Splinter was looking down at them._

_Leo closed his eyes, blinking back tears. "Someday, somehow…I'm gonna make it all right but not right now…I know you're wondering when…" He quietly sang, quoting a song called Someday from Nickelback. _

_He knew his brothers were asleep right now…for the last time. They had gotten so fed up with each other that they planned to leave in the morning. They already fixed themselves up a place to live separate lives. Then, they'd forget everything and pretend that the others never existed._

_Leo let out a slow breath. He had been afraid that this would go this far. But now that it had, he felt like a failure. He tried to prevent it so badly, but it still happened. He'd failed his family, himself, but worst of all, he'd failed Master Splinter._

_Leo looked for the last time up at the ceiling, not really seeing it, but searching for Splinter instead. He failed. "I'm sorry…" He whispered to no one. Then, he got up off his bed._

_Outside, the hallway was dark. But Leo didn't care. He finished tying his bandana onto his eyes. That was all he needed. He didn't need his swords anymore. He didn't need any weapons. He'd failed as a student and as a brother. He would leave all this behind for a while. But he'd return for his brothers. Maybe he'd be wiser then and he'd know what to do._

_Leo closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again. At the same time, he quietly stepped into Raph's room._

_There was a bag on the floor, a sports bag. Weapons, magazines, and other stuff were randomly thrown into it. _

_Leo quickly looked away. It just reminded him that this was real. Instead, he looked at the bed, where Raph was laying on it, a peaceful look on his face. Leo sighed._

_He reached behind his head and grabbed on of the tails from his bandana. He tore a little bit off of it. Turning around, he placed it securely into the sports bag._

"_You'll probably find this and throw it away…" Leo whispered aloud to his sleeping brother. "But maybe for that one moment you'll remember me."_

_With that, he quickly left the room, turning towards Don's room. He did this to each of his brothers, hiding a little piece of his blue bandana into their bags. _

_Then he turned and silently walked into the living room, where he froze. _

_Shadow was sleeping on the couch._

_He heaved a sigh. Shadow. He had been ever so faithful to him. Shadow was the one who understood him the best, probably. And now it just felt so wrong to leave him._

_But it was for the best. Leo walked over to the dog and placed a small blue piece of his bandana next to him._

"_Thanks for being my friend, Shadow. I'll miss you." Leo whispered, careful not to wake the dog._

_The dog shifted its paw once, so that it touched the blue ribbon._

_Leo smiled down at the dog, before he quickly strode over to the next hallway and grabbed his coat._

_"Please, please forgive me…But I won't be home again…" Leo sang quietly as he walked out the door. Another favorite. Missing, by Evanescence._

_He looked back one, only once, and then he was gone._

* * *

"What? What the hell ya say?" Raph asked in bewilderment.

The old man said nothing, but a slow smile spread across his face.

Don turned back to them, more focused on his brothers. "Do you remember, long ago? Master Splinter had all those books of folklore and mythology. We looked through them once. And, remember? One of those books had a section about an old man wandering around the world. And he would always appear to one person who was to die. He would then give him cakes. Then, after a few days, he'd take him." Then Don looked back at the old man. "Are you Death?"

The old man smiled. "Yes. You children took me by surprise. I was just going to visit my last soul that I need to take. These cakes," He took out a small cake, "Are nothing but a tool to help the soul calm down and detach from the body. They mean no harm."

Don nodded slowly. "And this soul you were going to visit, is it the last one you'll take?"

The old man nodded. "Now I must go. I have stayed too long." With that, he was gone.

* * *

Leo yawned again. He was so tired. Weird. He'd just had a nap. But oh well.

* * *

Don sighed.

"What's wrong, darlin'?"

Don looked up at Gale. He shrugged. "Nothing. Just I want to know whom Death's going to take next."

Gale heaved a soft sigh. "Everyone's time comes one day. It is inevitable. We will find out soon enough." With that, she stood up, gave him a soft smile, and then walked away.

Don looked down at the floor, before jumping in surprise at a whine. He whirled around to see Shadow sitting on the floor behind him. "Shadow?" Don asked in surprise, before smiling. "Jeez. You followed me here? You silly puppy. Don't you know when to stay home?" He teased gently, while scratching Shadow behind the ears. Shadow nipped his hand as if to remind him that he _wasn't_ a puppy. Don laughed.

"Shadow?"

Shadow looked up before walking his tail at Mikey. Mikey immediately grinned and patted the dog on the head. "I missed ya boy."

Raph came up too and grinned at the dog. "So Shadow trailed us here?" He asked before shaking his head. "Silly dog."

Shadow barked and wagged his tail.

Don laughed, before standing up. "I'm gonna go outside."

Raph raised an eyebrow. Then he shrugged. "Knock yourself out." He said coldly. The anger was still there.

Don glared at them, before stalking out.

* * *

Don stood outside on a rooftop and took a deep breath. Snow was falling again, steadily but softly in tiny flakes.

He looked around the city, gazing in wonder at the scenery. It was just like a post card. Snow covering everything in a thick blanket, small lights in windows, the snow falling steadily…

Suddenly, something caught his eye. Someone below him was rummaging through a trash container.

Don looked closer at the figure then gasped in surprise. He recognized the figure. Leo.

But…what was he doing out _here_ in the streets? And what was he doing rummaging through the trash like a homeless?

Looking closer, Don realized that Leo was very thin and dirty. Then, he realized the awful truth. Leo _was_ homeless.

"Aw jeez…" Don whispered, shock filling him. What had Leo ever done to deserve this kind of life? He was always so helpful and nice…why…?

But Don was in for more shock. Because right then, an old man came up to Leo.

Don watched silently, in too much of a shock to say or do anything.

Leo looked up from the trash container in surprise, before smiling at the old man.

The old man smiled back kindly at him, before saying something. Leo answered and the old man laughed.

Don leaned forward a bit, trying to hear. He was too far up to hear… He was about to go down, when he received the shock of a lifetime.

The old man reached into his pocked and handed Leo a small, brown _cake._

And Leo took it.

* * *

How he got back to the Headquarters, Don would never know. Everything just flowed together. Everything. He couldn't feel, couldn't think. That one moment just played over and over again in his mind. The cake. Leo taking the cake. The cake. Leo taking the cake. The cake. _Leo_ taking the _cake._

Shadow barked in happiness as Don stepped in.

Raph looked up, his face showing anger, but it quickly changed to worry when he saw how pale Don was.

"Don?"

Don looked up at him with wide eyes. "I know whose going to die." He whispered to his two brothers. "It's Leo."

And then he fainted.

* * *

Raph caught Don just before he hit the floor. He gently lay his brother onto the floor, before ordering Mikey to go get some water.

Mikey immediately ran off.

"Oh, my!" Gale said, coming up. "Whatever happened?"

Raph looked up at her with wide eyes glazed over with fear. "Leo's gonna die…"

Shadow whined and began to nudge Don with his nose. Just then, Mikey arrived with the water.

"What's goin' on?" Mikey asked, his voice quivering. "Why'd Don say Leo's gonna die?"

Raph shook his head. "Dunno." He said before splashing the water on Don's face. Don groaned before opening his eyes. "Wha?" He asked, looking around.

Raph quickly pushed him back down on the floor when he tried to get up. "Don't. You jus' fainted. You'd better stay put. Now, what's this about Leo?"

Don looked up at them, and suddenly everything began to spill out. Everything. How he saw Leo, how he realized that he was homeless, how he met the old man, and how the old man gave Leo the cake.

Afterwards, everyone was silent.

"Leo's…gonna die?" Mikey asked finally, sounding younger than he really was.

Don nodded slowly. "Remember? If someone receives a cake from Death, they are fated to die…"

Raph blinked before slowly shaking his head. "But he _can't _die…I mean, sure he messed up, but we all did too…" He whispered.

Everyone knew he was talking about when Splinter died.

Gale put a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Maybe it is time to let the past go. Everyone makes mistakes. And everyone must die sometime. Accidents happen. What happened was not your fault. And blaming others to keep the pain away only increases the pain." With that, Gale squeezed Raph's shoulder and disappeared.

Raph stared after her in bewilderment. "Wasn't that what Leo kept on tellin' us?" He asked.

Don slowly sat up, he too watching after her in wonder. "Amazing. Does Leo have a twin or something?"

Mikey blinked. "But isn't she right though? I mean, we were really stupid. Actually this whole think is really stupid. Sure, Master Splinter is dead, but don't we go out every day and risk our own lives? Aren't we always prepared that one of us'll die?"

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Amazing. You have a _brain_? This day is full of miracles!" He teased, but earned a glare from both his brothers. Raph quickly dropped the act. "Yeah, well. You're right. We were too busy blamin' each other for stuff that wasn't really our fault that we never noticed our lives fallin' apart… And…Leo's really homeless?"

Don nodded. "Yeah. He was looking for food in a trash container."

Mikey shivered. "Ouch." Then he slapped himself. "We are so stupid. Jeez."

Raph nodded. "But first we'd better go get Leo. And save him, again…" He added, grinning.

Don rolled his eyes. "You do realize that Leo's saved your shell more than we can count?"

Raph shrugged. "So?"

Don shook his head. "Well, let's go then!"

* * *

They found Leo in one of the smaller alleys. They knew he was homeless, but it was still a shock to find your brother lying on a collapsed box in an alley, covered with snow.

Don quickly checked his pulse. He let out a sigh in relief. "He's still alive. He's really cold, but alive."

Raph nodded, before bending down and gently picking Leo up. "Jeez!" He exclaimed in surprise.

Mikey looked worried. "Is he heavy?"

Raph shook his head in bewilderment. "No! He's…really _light._"

Don frowned. "That's not a good sign. We'd better get him home fast."

Shadow, who'd been silently trailing behind them, barked in agreement.

Raph looked at Don. "But where to? I mean, we need to get him someplace close and warm."

Don thought for a second. "How about home?" He said after a thought. "You know, the Lair? We know that place, plus a lot of my meds are still there. I've just been too lazy to go down there and get them. And who knows? Maybe it'll do good for all of us to be home again."

* * *

Back at the Lair, Don had immediately rushed off to his room to get his supplies. Mikey, meanwhile, rushed around the Lair trying to find blankets and stuff. He also turned on the heat.

Raph, however, made his way to Leo's room. With some difficulty, he managed to open the door.

He slowly walked in before laying his elder brother down onto the bed. Then he coughed. A cloud of dust rose up from the bed.

Raph stepped back a bit, still coughing before looking around the room. Leo's room was messy and dusty…

"Oh jeez, Leo. Why ain't ya ever tell us how messed up we made ya?" Raph asked to no one.

"Because we wouldn't have listened anyways."

Raph whirled around to see Don standing in the doorway, his medical stuff in hand. He looked sad and tired.

Raph nodded, knowing that Don was right.

* * *

They were all tired. It had been a trying day, plus their faults plagued them. It wasn't easy to suddenly realize all your faults and try to deal with them.

They were now just sitting on the couch, staring at the tv, which was showing some random cooking show. But no one cared. They weren't really watching anyways. Plus, who cares how many ways you can chop a carrot?

Suddenly, Shadow jumped up and began to growl.

Everyone jolted up.

"What's wrong, boy?" Mikey asked, looking down at the dog with worry.

Shadow just snarled before hurling off down the hall towards Leo's room, there he pawed at the door, snaring and barking.

Raph and the other two rushed on after him, the cooking show totally forgotten. (not like anyone really cared…)

Opening the door, Raph stepped back in surprise. There, next to Leo's bed, was the old man.

Raph slowly drew his sais. "Get away from him."

Death stared at them, his icy blue eyes calm yet sad. "It is time. Please. Leave us be."

Shadow barked and snared at him.

Don glared at Death. "No…it's not Leo's time. He isn't ready!"

"How do you know he is not ready?" Death asked. "It is not your choice to decide when it is time, or when it isn't."

Death sighed then, placing a hand on Leo's cheek. He looked sadly down at him.

Raph growled in anger, gripping the sais harder.

"Too bad." Death whispered. "I've grown quite fond of this one…"

"Then why don't you _not_ take him?" Mikey offered.

Death chuckled sadly. "I have to take a soul."

Don's ears perked up. "_A_ soul?" He asked, looking excited. "How about you not take Leo's but take someone else's?"

Death cocked his head, looking thoughtful. "True, I have done exchanges…but only for a very few…a very few I am fond of…and I _am_ quite fond of this one…"

Mikey brightened. "So you'll do it?"

Death looked at him. "I _would_ make an exception…just this once…but who will replace his soul?"

At that, all three of them hesitated. They could ask Death to take some random person's soul, but that would be cruel and mean…and they weren't in any real hurry to die…

Shadow, by now, had stopped barking and growling. Instead he had grown quite calm. And when it heard that Death would make an exchange, Shadow stepped forward, barking quietly, as if saying 'I'm here! I'll do it!'.

The three turtles hushed as they watched in amazement.

Death looked down at the dog before he smiled. He gently petted Shadow on the head. "You are a brave one, yes. A good, brave one. I would be honored to exchange this child's soul for yours."

Mikey blinked back tears. Sure he loved Leo a whole bunch, but he loved Shadow too. But Shadow was old now. He'd die soon…and probably he knew and that was why he was so willing…

Death looked at them. "Take good care of this child. He's a good one."

With that, he touched Shadow's head, and the dog's feet crumbled beneath him. Then, Death was gone.

Mikey rushed to Shadow. He gently touched Shadow's head before hugging the dog. "Thank you…" He whispered as he gently hugged the dead old dog.

* * *

Leo blinked as he woke up. How strange. He knew this place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it…

Familiar walls, familiar pipes, familiar door, familiar desk, familiar swords…wait. Swords?

Leo jolted up. He'd left his swords back in the Lair…and they were suddenly here?

Leo looked around once more, carefully examining every inch of the room. Yep. He confirmed. This was _his _room.

Leo blinked again before pinching himself. Was he really awake? Yep. He was really here. How—

His silent questions were answered by the door opening.

Leo jumped in surprise as Don stepped in. "Don?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Don jumped too, not expecting Leo to be awake. "Oh, hey Leo." He said casually, before the truth hit him. "Leo? Oh my god! You're awake! Oh jeez!" he yelled, rushing over and giving Leo a big hug.

Leo just stared in surprise before pushing Don away. "Wha? Why?—"

Don quickly held up his hand. "I'll explain later. But right now, I'd better tell everyone you're up. Jeez you had us so worried!"

Leo stared after Don as he rushed off. 'Was this just a dream?'

But as Leo found out later that it _hadn't_ been a dream. It had all been very real. Splinter was still dead, and now Shadow was dead too. But his brothers were back to their normal selves, and were starting to forgive and forget the past.

Leo smiled gently as he watched his brothers fool around for the first time in months. Although they still had a long way to go before the scars completely healed, they were off to a very good start.

'Maybe miracles do happen.' Leo thought happily. 'Maybe they do."

* * *

Whew. I'm done. Finally! Wow. (reads over it again) that really WAS a weird piece. Oh well. It was fun writing it! Now to update my other stories… 


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